Israel's ambassador to Berlin said it is "inappropriate" for German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to receive Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei [Abu Ala] next week for talks.

In a weekend interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur Ambassador Shimon Stein called on Schroeder not to go through with plans to meet Qurei in Berlin on Tuesday.

Terming Qurei a "failed prime minister", Stein added, "Qurei has done nothing in the fight against terrorism. "Qurei has not dared to confront the strategy of chaos of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. He ought to do his homework first."

Moreover, Stein blasted German criticism of construction of the so-called West Bank separation barrier. "It is our position that the anti-terrorism fence is necessary and legitimate, and that it is only temporary," Stein said. (Albawaba.com)